Despite the popular image of Ernest Hemingway sipping mojitos in Havana, scholars argue that his connection to the drink is more legend than fact. While bars in Florida and elsewhere often serve mojitos in tribute to the author around his July birthday, experts say there is little historical evidence to support his affinity for the beverage.
Mark Ott, a Hemingway scholar and consulting editor for the documentary series "Hemingway," stated that Hemingway's association with the mojito is "more myth than reality." He noted a lack of records indicating Hemingway frequently drank mojitos. The popular belief is often linked to a handwritten inscription at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, which reads, "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita." However, historians have raised doubts about the authenticity of this signature and the establishment's operational status during Hemingway's time in Cuba.
In contrast, Hemingway's fondness for daiquiris is well-documented. He was a regular at El Floridita, where bartenders developed the "Papa Doble," a daiquiri variation with extra rum. Frank Gonzalez, corporate beverage director for Havana 1957, a South Florida restaurant group, confirmed that the daiquiri is intrinsically linked to Hemingway's legacy. Gonzalez also pointed out that Hemingway's health, particularly his developing diabetes, likely led him to avoid sugary drinks over time.
Contemporary accounts, letters, and biographies more frequently mention Hemingway consuming daiquiris, beer, wine, or scotch than mojitos. Ott mentioned that while photographs of Hemingway often show him with beer or preparing martinis, none are known to depict him holding a mojito. Scotch was another drink Ott confirmed Hemingway favored.
Despite the scholarly debunking of the mojito legend, the cocktail itself remains a celebrated Cuban classic. The traditional mojito is made with white rum, fresh lime juice, mint, sugar, and soda water.